Colleges reopenings in-person likely added 3,000 US COVID-19 cases per day: study

A social distancing marker is seen on an empty University of Southern California (USC) campus, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Los Angeles, California, US, August 17, 2020. [REUTERS]

Reopening college and university campuses for in-person instruction during late summer this year could be associated with more than 3,000 additional cases of COVID-19 per day in the United States in recent weeks, according to a new study.

The findings call into question the practicality of face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are important as colleges and universities plan their spring 2020 semesters, said researchers from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Indiana University, the University of Washington and Davidson College.